ELFIN  SONGS  ^SUNLAND 


BV 


CHARLES  KEELER 


UC-NRLF 


Charles  Keeler,  Berkeley 
poet,  philosopher  and  civic 
leader,  died  at  his  home 
yesterday  after  a  lengthy 
illness.— Tribune  photo. 

Death  Takes 
Charles  Keeler 

Friend  of  John  Muir 
And  Burroughs  Pens 

Poem  as  End  Hears 

i^3V 

BERKELEY,  July  31  i-P*opped  up 
n  his  sick-bed  this  morning,  Charles 
Keeler,  who  often  had  been  sug 
gested  as  poet  laureate  of  California, 
vrote: 


"It  seems  a  dream  of  some  lost 
world  in  all  its  mystery." 

The  line  proved  the  last  he  ever 
was  to  write. 

A  few  hours  later  the  kindly  man 
of  65,  who  had  been  playwright, 
philosopher,  naturalist  and  civic 
leader,  as  well  as  a  poet,  died  at 
his  home,  155  El  Camino  Real. 

He  had  been  ill  of  heart  disease 
for  some  time,  and  his  condition 
was  aggravated  by  a  fall,  several 
months  ago,  which  fractured  his  hip. 
INHALATOR  FAILS 

A  fire  department  inhalator  crew 
strove  vainly  to  sustain  his  life. 

His  last  poem,  found  at  the  bed- 
I  side,  seemed  to  convey  portentously 
'  a  spirit  already  remote.  Entitled 
"The  Snowy  Egret,"  it  read: 

"So  long  ago,  so  far  away,  a  boy  in 

his  canoe, 
Went  paddling  down  a  river  to  a 

reedy-bordered  slough. 
It  was  twilight  on  the  river  and  the 

frogs  began  to  croak; 
The    whippoorwill    with    eerie    call 

the  evening  silence  broke. 

"And  there  he  saw,  so  long  ago,  two 

egrets,  snowy  white, 
Like  spectres  in  the  marshland  at 

the  coming  of  the  night. 
On    stilts    upraised,    with    plumed 

crest,  how  beautiful  and  pale,  ' 
How  tall  they  were,  with  spearlike 

beaks,  so  silent  and  so  frail! 

"Then,  bright  the  moon  broke  thru 

the  trees,  as  white  those  egrets 

stood, 
They  looked  like  angels  in  the  night 

against  the  solemn  wood. 
And  now  today,  so  far  away,  that 

scene  comes  back  to  me, 
It  seems  a  dream  of  some  lost  world 

in  all  its  mystery." 

Best  known  as  a  poet — of  such 
caliber  that  he  financed  ci  trip 
around  the  world  in  his  yputh  with 
poems — Keeler  found  time  for  more 
prosaic  duties.  He  was  managing 
director  of  the  Berkeley  Chamber 
c '  Commerce  for  seven  years  end 
ing  in  1927. 
STUDENT  AT  U.  C. 

Keeler  was  born  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis..  and  came  to  California  as  a 
youth.  He  left  the  University  of 
California  before  graduating  with 
his  class,  in  1893,  to  make  the  voy 
age  around  Cape  Horn  in  that  year. 

In    the    next    few    years    Keeler 


traveled  to  Alaska  with  the  Har 
rison  expedition  and  also  visited 
the  South  Seas,  Australia  and  New 
Zealand. 

His  poems  dealt  with  the  many 
countries  he  visited  and  were  pub 
lished  in  many  places.  Among  the 
books  of  poems  for  which  he  is 
most  widely  known  are  "Sequoia 
Sonnet"  and  "The  Lure  of  Far 
Lands." 

Keeler's  thre^  children  shared  his 
creative  ability.  His  son,  Leonarde, 
now  director  of  the  crime  preven 
tion  laboratory  of  Northwestern 
University,  developed  an  improved 
ie  detector. 

DAUGHTERS   TALENTED 

One  daughter,  Elois-e,  is  an  actress 
and  the  other,  Mrs.  Merodine  Mc- 
Intyre,  is  an  artist.  The  former 
now  is  in  mid-Pacific  on  a  'round- 
the-world  tour.  The  latter  is  the 
wife  of  Richard  Mclntyre  of 
Berkeley. 

The  mother  of  the  children,  the 
former  Louise  Bunnell,  member  of 
a  prominent  Berkeley  family,  died 
years  ago.  Keeler's  second  wife,  the 
former  Ormeida  Harrison,  whom  he 
married  in  1921,  survives  him. 

Keeler  was  an  early  member  and 
past  president  of  the  California  Writ 
ers  Club,  an  early  member  of  the 
Sierra  Club,  a  life  honorary  mem 
ber  of  the  Bohemian  Club  and  the 
Hillside  Club  and  the  League  of 
Western  Writers.  He  was  a  mem 
ber  and  former  director  of  the 
museum  of  the  California  Academy 
of  Sciences. 


C[lf  in 


ELFIN 

OF  SUNLAND 

BY  CHARLES  KEELER 


DECORATIONS  BY  LOUISE  KEELER 
FOURTH     EDITION 


LIVE  OAK  PUBLISHING 
f.  COMPANY 

BerReley      ^      California 


COPYRIGHT  1904  BY 
CHARLES  KEELER 

COPYRIGHT  1904  BY 
CHARLES  KEELER 
(For  Second  Edition) 

COPYRIGHT  1914  BY 

CHARLES  KEELER 

(For  Third  Edition) 

COPYRIGHT  1920  BY 
CHARLES  KEELER 
(For  Fourth  Edition) 


* 

A 


by 
LOUISE   HEELER 


DEDICATION 

Elfin  songs  of  sunland, 
Frolicland  and  funland; 
Little  rhymes  of  child  hours, 
Wood  elves  and  wild  flowers; 
Jingles  of  the  forest  green, 
Songs  for  little  Merodine! 


447757 


VI 


NAMES  OF  THE  SONGS 

PAGE 

/,    A  RING  AROUND  OF  PLAYTIME 

COME  AWAY  CHILDREN       .         .         .         .         i 

HAND-ORGAN  MAN 3 

POPPING  CORN 5 

THE  BAKER  MAN 7 

TOPS 9 

THE  KITE n 

THE  SEE-SAW 13 

SOAP  BUBBLES 14 

THE  BRASS  BAND 15 

THE  MERRY -co-RouxD        .         .         .         .17 

THE  OVERLAND  FLYER  .      .         .         .         .19 

SPORTS       .         .         .         .         .         .         .21 

THE  SWIMMING  POOL  .         .         .         .22 

A  SONG  OF  LEONARDE         .         .         .         .24 

H,    SONGS  OF  THE  WILDWOOD 

A  CHILD'S  BOOK         .         .  .         .  .      27 

A  LESSON           .         .         .  .  .28 

A  WINTER  WALK        .  .         .  .29 

vii 


viii  NAMES  OF  THE  SONGS 

PAGE 

WINTER  RAIN  IN  CALIFORNIA     .  .30 

MR.  WIND          .         .         .         .  32 

WILD- WOOD  BOGIES 34 

THE  COYOTE 36 

THE  HUMMINGBIRD     .         .         .         .  .       38 

THE  ROADRUNNER      .         .         .         .  .40 

THE  BURROWING  OWL         .         .         .  .42 

THE  CRESTED  JAY      .         .         .         .  .44 

TROUBLE  IN  THE  TREES      ....       46 

THE  SQUIRREL   .         .         .         .         .  .48 

THE  POLLIWOG  THAT  LOST  ITS  TAIL  .       50 

THE  HORNED  TOAD    .         .         .  52 

A  FAIRY  IN  A  FLOWER       .         .         •  •       53 

BUTTERCUP         . "       .         .         .         •  •       55 

THE  COLUMBINE       • .         .         .         .  .56 

THE  LEOPARD  LILY    .         .         .         .  .57 

JOHNNY  JUMP-UP        .         .         .         .  '.       58 

SONG  OF  THE  BROWN  LILY          .         ,  -59 

SHOOTING  STAR  FLOWERS  60 

THE  SCARLET  LARKSPUR     .         .        .  .61 

THE  TRILLIUM   .         .         .        .  .62 

BABY  BLUE-EYES        .        .r                 .  .63 


NAMES  OF  THE  SONGS  ix 

PAGE 

WHO  KNOWS  ROSALIE         .         .         .         .64 

To  A  WILD  ROSE 65 

THE  QUEEN  OF  THE  FAIRIES       ...  66 

///,    QUIPS  AND  CRANKS 

MY  AUNTIE        .         .         .         .         .         .71 

THE  BEAR  HUNTER 73 

TRYING  TO  PLAY 74 

MAGGIE  MULDOON      .....  75 

THE  BOOBITY  BUMPKIN      ....  76 

FARMER  JONES'  GOAT         .         ...  77 

POOR  MR.  MIDAS 78 

THREE  WISE  MEN 79 

A  GOBBLER  IN  TROUBLE    ....  80 

THE  TALE  OF  A  POOR  LITTLE  WORM          .  82 

IV,    RHYMES  FOR  TODDLERS 

PUSSY  WHITE     ......  87 

CHINA  DOLLS 88 

DOLLIE'S  LULLABY      .....  90 


NAMES  OF  THE  SONGS 

PAGR 

BABY  LIFE         .         .         .         .         .         -9* 

LITTLE  BROTHER        .....  93 

PLAYING  HORSE          .         ..        .         .         -  94 

MY  DONKEY      ......  95 

BABY  IN  THE  BARNYARD     .                  .         .  96 

BABY'S  GOOD  NIGHT  .....  98 

DOGS 100 

MY  ANIMALS      .         .         .         .                  .  101 

V,    BROWN  BABY  BALLADS 

Six  LITTLE  ESKIMO  .  .  .  .  .105 
PICCANINNY  LULLABY  .  .  .  .107 
THE  MEXICAN  BABIES  .  .  .  .109 

THE  LITTLE  PIUTE in 

THE  HONOLULU  BOY  .  .  .  -.113 
A  SAMOA  SLEEPY  SONG  .  .  .  .114 


A  RING  AROUND  OF  PLAYTIME 


COME  AWAY  CHILDREN 

OME    away   children,    frisk   along 

with  me, 
For  I'll  be  the  piper  and  merry 

will  we  be; 
With  laughter  and  dancing  and  sports  to 

make  us  gay, 

O   there's  sunshine  and   there's  singing — 
come  away,  come  away! 

Come  away  children,  leave  the  town  behind ; 
Follow  me  to    Happy-land   and  see  what 

we  shall  find, 
Where  the  flowers   smile   to  see  you  and 

the  birdies  trill  and  play 
Just    because    the    sun    is    shining — come 

away,  come  away! 


Come  away  children,  I'll  pipe  an  elfin  tune 
And  we'll  play  that  we  are  fairies  dancing 

in  the  summer  moon; 
We'll  pretend  that  we  are  flowers  in  the 

carnival  of  May 
If  you'll  join   the  merry  crew  and  come 

way,  come  away! 


(flfiti  j^ 


l 
HAND-ORGAN  MAN 

AND-ORGAN    MAN,     O    hand- 
organ  man, 
Grind   out    the    music  as   fast  as 

you  can, 

With  a  tum-turi  tum-turi  hippity  hay, 
And    a    red-coated    monkey  to  frolic  and 
play. 

The    organ    rings    merrily    on    down    the 

street, 
And  the  very  policeman  steps  out  to  your 

beat, 
When,    sucking    her    stick    of    molasses, 

comes  Jennie 
To  give  that  impertinent  monkey  a  penny. 


O  toodle  de  toodle  de,  hand-organ  grinder, 
No  man  in  the  city  to  children  is  kinder, 
And  my  little  kid  brother  just  played  not 

to  care 
When    the    monkey  jumped  on   him  and 

grabbed  at  his  hair. 


(Jlfitt  ^ouffX  of  jSunUnd 


POPPING  CORN 

OME,  you  merry  little  fellows, 
Poke  the  coals  and  blow  the 

bellows ; 

Here's  the  popper,  shell  the  corn, 
And  let  it  pop  this  winter  morn. 

Pop-a-tee-pop-pop-pop ! 
See  the  kernels  skip  and  hop, 
See  them  puff  out  full  and  white, 
Hear  them  crackle  in  affright. 

Now  shake,  shake,  shake, 

Till  your  hands  and  faces  bake; 

Tip  it,  turn  it, 

Or  you'll  burn  it, 

And  a  dreadful  muss  you*  11  make. 


Now  it's  done  we'll  have  a  feast; 
Smallest  hands  must  take  the  least! 
Hot  and  crisp  and  white  and  sweet,- 
Isn't  this  a  jolly  treat  I 


THE  BAKER  MAN 

WHO  do  you  think  is  the  baker 

man, 
And  how  do  you  think  he  makes 

his  cake? 

He  mixes  his  dough  in  an  old  tin  can 
And  puts  it  out  in  the  sun  to  bake. 
He  pats  pats  pats  at  his  little  mud  pies ; 
He  rounds  them  and  rolls  them  and  looks 
so  wise. 

The  baker  man  is  my  brother  Ned, 

And  out  in  the  garden  he's  working  away,. 

Right  by  the  scarlet  geranium  bed, 

And  his  hands  and  his  face  are  just  covered 

with  clay, 
As  he  pats  pats  pats  at  his  little  mud  pies ; 


m 


As   he   rounds  them  and  rolls  them  and 
looks  so  wise. 


8 


fjSunland, 


TOPS 

OW  would  you  like  to  be  a  top, 
To    be    made    to    spin    till    you 

couldn't  stop; — 
To   be   pitched    head   first  from  a  coil   of 

string, 

To  be  made  to  dance  till   you  sigh  and 
swing? 

There's  the  top  that  is  whipped  and  the 

top  with  a  peg 
That  gouges  its  brother  and  leaves  him  to 

beg; 
There's  the  musical  top  with  holes  in  its 

side, 
That  is  said  to  have  played  till  it  fell  down 

and  died. 


9 


But  of  all  the  tops  that  ever  were  spun, 
The  biggest  are  those   of  the   old   daddy 

Sun; 

And  I'll  wager  he  has  just  the  jolliest  sport 
With  the  Earth  and  with  Saturn  and  tops 

of  that  sort. 


10 


THE  KITE 

LOW,  wind,  blow,  wind, 

Fly,  kite,  fly! 
On  and  on  you  go,  wind, 

Up,  kite,  high! 

Out  sweeps  your  tail,  kite, 

Tug  on  the  string; 
Far  away  you  sail,  kite, 

Proudly  you  swing. 

If  I  were  like  you,  kite, 

One  white  wing, 
With  nothing  else  to  do,  kite, 

But  tug  upon  the  string. 


II 


Fd  sail  up  from  town,  kite, 
To  see  the  moon's  back, 

And  then  slide  down,  kite, 
The  Milky- Way's  track. 


12 


THE  SEE-SAW 


BALANCE    the    ladder   atop   of 

the  rail, 
And  up  we  go,  down  we  go,  all 

in  a  gale, 

Singing  like  birds  as  we  teeter  away, 
Bouncing  and  jouncing  each  other  in  play. 

You  are  Queen  Sally  and  I  am  King  Peter, 
And  where  are  we   going  astride  of  our 

teeter? 

Riding  to  fairyland,  over  the  moon. 
Up  we  go,  —  down!  —  and    we'll    be    there 

soon. 


fjSunland 


SOAP  BUBBLES 

)LUBBLETY,  flopplety,  bubble  and 

spatter, 

Soap-suds    and    water    and    clay- 
pipes  and  chatter! 

Puff  little  cheeklets  and  blow,  blow,  blow  I 
Look  at  the  bubbles  beginning  to  grow! 

O  what  a  beauty,  all  purple  and  pink! 
Whiff!  it  has  vanished  before  you  can  think! 
Now  look  at  this  one  with  clouds  and  a 

tree 
Swimming  about  in  a  gold-lighted  sea! 

Hurrah,  it  is  floating  away  through  the  air! 
Car  of  the  fairies  was  never  more  fair. 
Zip  comes  a  goblin  and  clips  it  away! 
What  will  the  fairy  who  rode  in  it  say? 

H 


THE  BRASS  BAND 


T  makes  me  feel  so  fine  and  gay 
When  drums  are  beat  and  bugles 

play; 

I  think  I'd  like  to  be  a  king 
And  rule  the  earth  and  everything. 

The  big  bass-drum 

Goes  dum,  dum,  dum, 

The  horns  play  tweedle  dee, 

And  every  toot  and  every  beat 

Just  catches  hold  of  my  two  feet 

And  makes  them  run  away  from  me. 

And  this  is  what  I  hear  them  say 

As  down  the  street  they  march  away: 

Te   dum  ratta  dum,  ratta  dum,  dum  dee, 


Te    dum,   ratta    dum,   shout    hurrah   boys 

with  me! 
Tweedle  twee  twee  twee,  tweedle  anything 

you  can, 
For  I'm  going  to  be  a  soldier  when  I  get 

to  be  a  man! 


16 


tftfiti  ^ontrX  of  jSunland 


THE  MERRY-GO-ROUND 

TAND  still,   Mr.   Horse,  while  I 

jump  on  your  back 
To  ride  in  the  ring  of  the  whirli 

gig's  track. 
The  boys  and  girls  shout  as  the  man  cries, 

-Hold  fast." 
The  music  is  playing  —  we're  started  at  last! 

O  faster  and  faster  we  rock  and  we  spin 
Around,  keeping  time  to  the  musical  din, 
Then  I  pull  on  my  reins  and  cry  "  Whoa!" 

to  the  horse, 
For    that   is  the  right   way  to  stop  him, 

of  course. 


But  we  go  and  we  go  and  we  don't  mind 
a  pin 


If  we  end  where  we  started  and  have  to 
begin 

On  the  meny-go-round,  the  merry-go- 
round — 

'Tis  the  best  kind  of  travel  I  ever  have 
found ! 


18 


THE  OVERLAND  FLYER 


O-TOO!  to-too!  Ka-ding,  ka-dong! 
Down  the  mole   comes  the  flyer 

a-zipping  along,  — 
Smoke  clouds  panting  and  hissing  of  steam, 
Rattling  of  rails  and  a  sudden  scream  ! 

The  iron  dragon  snorts  up  to  the  station, 
The  proudest  beast  in  the  wide  creation; 
Fed  on  fire  it  puffs  and  blows, 
Cyclops-eyed  like  a  fiend  it  glows. 

We  kiss  our  hands  to  the  friends  by  the 

Bay, 

On  the  dragon's  tail  we  are  whisked  away, 
And  faster  we  whiz  by  the  glistening  shore,  — 
Towns  spin  past  as  we  ride  with  a  roar. 


19 


tfttiti  g 


Now  the  iron  throat  is  gasping  astrain 
As  the  beast  up  the  mountains  is  dragging 
his  train. 

0  where  are   you   taking   us,   monster  of 
steel  ? 

Out  in  the  darkness  the  pine-trees  reel! 

Over  the  desert  we  swing  and  fly, 
Towns  and  prairies  are  flashing  by; 
When,  lo!  to  your  castle  you  plunge  in 

the  night, — 
The  great  walls  tower  in  ghostly  light. 

Does  a  princess  live  in  that  tall  black  tower  ? 
Are  all  of  the  people  here  under  your  power  ? 

1  never  was  certain  that  dragons  were  true 
Till  I  got  on  your  tail  and  rode  with  you ! 


20 


SPORTS 

NAP-the-whip  and  tug-of-war — 
What  is  all  this  tussle  for? 
Hare-and-hounds    and  prisoners- 
base, 
Just  to  make  you  puff  and  race ! 

Balls  to  bat  and  balls  to  kick 
Make  you  nimble,  make  you  quick; 
And  anyhow  I  like  to  play, 
So  come  on  boys, — hurray,  hurray! 


21 


tflfiti  j^ 


THE  SWIMMING  POOL 

E   boys    love    to    swim  on  a  hot 

summer  day 
In  the  pool  where  the  pond-lilies 

float; 
There's    Willie  and    Frankie  and   Bennie 

and  Jay 
Adrift  in  a  leaky  old  boat. 

As  Ben  splashes  under,  a  kingfisher  cries: 
"  You'  11    frighten    my    fish     with    your 

noise," 
While   the  frog  on  the  lily-pad  croaks  in 

surprise  : 
4 '  What  awkward  great  creatures  are  boys ! ' ' 

The  poor  little  catfish  way  down  in  the  mud 
Can't  imagine  what's  coming  its  way 


22 


As    Frank    dives   head-first  with  a  splash 

and  a  thud, 
Close  followed  by  Willie  and  Jay. 

Then  to  lie  in  the  sand  when  the  swimming 

is  done, 
While    the    skater-bugs    dance    on    the 

stream ! 

Just  a  tickle  of  wind  and  a  shower  of  sun 
And  a  sigh  of  content  as  we  dream  1 


A  SONG  OF  LEONARDE 

UNSHINE   boy  of  the   world  of 

play, 

Laughing  out  in  the  wind  away, 
Singing  free  as  a  song-bird  wild, — 
O  that  is  the  way  of  my  elfin  child ! 

Love    in    the    heart    thro'    the    day-bright 

hours, 

Joy  on  the  lips  like  the  smiling  flowers, 
Peace  on  the  face  when  the  night  is  starred 
And  sleep  steals  over  my  Leonarde. 


24 


SONGS  OF  THE  WILDWOOD 


A  CHILD'S  BOOK 

HERE  are  many  good  books,  my 

child, 

But  the  best  of  them  all  for  you 
Is  the  book  that  is  hid  in  the  greenwood 

wild, 
All  bound  in  a  cover  of  blue. 

Tis  the  book  of  the  birds  and  the  bees, 
Of  the  flowers  and  the  fish  in  the  brook ; 

You  may  learn  how  to  read  if  you  go  to 

the  trees 
And  open  your  eyes  and  look. 


27 


A  LESSON 

ELL  me  little  spider, 
Who   taught  you   how   to   spin? 
Tell  me  little  minnow, 


How  you  learned  to  use  your  fin? 

Tell  me  little  swallow, 
Who  taught  you  how  to  fly? 

And  they  each  said,  "It  is  easy 
If  you  only  try  and  try/' 


28 


((tfiti  J^onqX  of  jSunland 


A  WINTER  WALK 

N    the    Berkeley   Hills    for    miles 

away 
I    went   a-roaming    one    winter's 

day, 

And  what  do  you  think  I  saw,  my  dear? 
A  place  where  the  sky  came  down  to  the 

hill, 
And  a  big  white  cloud  on  the  fresh  green 

grass, 

And  bright  red  berries  my  basket  to  fill, 
And  mustard  that  grew  in  a  golden  mass, — 
All  on  a  winter's  day,  my  dear! 


WINTER  RAIN  IN  CALIFORNIA 


EE  the  little  drops  of  rain, 
Falling,  falling, 
Softly  calling 
Flowers  back  to  life  again. 

First  the  blades  of  grass  appear, 

Upward  creeping, 

Shyly  peeping 
O'er  the  meadow  far  and  near. 

Then  the  mustard  spreads  its  gold, 

Opes  its  flowers 

To  the  showers, 
Little  heeding  winter's  cold. 


Poppies'  velvet  petals  glow; 

Each  new-comer 

Thinks  'tis  summer, 
Though  the  winter  breezes  blow. 

And  the  little  drops  of  rain, 

Softly  falling 

Still  are  calling 
Flowers  forth  on  hill  and  plain. 


MR.  WIND 


APRIL   fields   are  fair  to  see  — 
Turn  tiddle  turn,  tiddle  turn  turn 

tee! 
The  grass  and  the  snow  play  at  hide  and 

seek, 
And  the  sun  '  round   the  rim  of  a  cloud 

will  peek; 
O  fie  and  fiddle  and  ha  ha  he! 

Up  came  an  old  man  as  I  sang  my  song, 
With  a  "  Hi,  Johnnie,  hi  ;  skip  along,  skip 

along!" 
"And   who   are    you,    sir?"    said   I;   and 

quoth  he: 
44  Mr.  Wind  is  my  name,  hop  along  with 

me": 


So  we  skipped  and  we  hopped  along  long 
long. 

O   his  beard  was    towsled,   his   hair  blew 

free — 

Turn  tiddle  turn;  little  matter  to  me! 
For  he  whistled  and  piped  as  we  danced 

away, 
And  the  best  of  companions  I  found  him 

in  play — 
O  fie  and  fiddle  and  ha  ha  he! 


33 


WILD  WOOD  BOGIES 


1ST    little    toddlekins,   whisk   and 

away! 
Now  is  the   time   for  the  bogies 

to  play; 

Patter  of  foot-pads  and  eyes  brightly  glowing, 
Noses  that  sniffle  the  night  breezes  blowing, 
Bogies  are  romping  the  wildwood  in  glee, 
Frisking  and  scampering,  nimble  and  free. 

Who  are  the  velvet-foot,  fire-eyed  bogies? 
Coons  and  coyotes  and  wild  woodland 

roguies  ! 

Playing  at  night-time  when  baby's  asleep  ; 
Whisk!  did  you  see  that  ghost  jack-rabbit 

leap? 
"Boo!"   and   "Boo-hoo!"   cries  the  fluffy 

horned-owl, 

34 


And  the  wolf  in  the  pine-woods  calls  back 
with  a  howl. 

The  panther  slinks  on  in  the  trail  of  the 

deer, 
The  wrood-rats  have  run  to  their  tunnels  in 

fear, 
And  down  the  steep  mountain  with  snuffling 

and  shuffling 
A    clumsy    she-bear   with    her   cubbies   is 

scuffling ; 
For  night  is  the  time   for   the   bogies  to 

roam, — 
Hist,  little  toddlekins,  fly  to  your  home! 


35 


THE  COYOTE 


ROUGHING  in  his  monkish  gray, 
Crunching  at  his  dying  prey, 
Furtive    eyes  and   pricking    ears, 
Haunted  by  a  hundred  fears  !  — 
Yet  the  cotton-tail  trembles  to  see  him  pass 
With  his  pat  pat  patter  on   the  parching 
grass  ! 


Lolling  tongue  and  panting  sides, — 

'Mid  the  tawny  grass  he  hides. 

Lowered  is  his  bushy  tail, 

Keen  of  snout  he  sniffs  the  trail ; 

But  he  yelps  and  howls  like  a  mad  thing 

at  night, 
With  his  kai  yi  yi  in  the  moon's  dim  light. 


fjSunlatui 


Friendless  prowler,  sage-brush  thief, 

Hunted  rover,  desert  chief! 

Even  you  who  friendless  roam 

Have  a  loving  mate  at  home, — 

And  her  little  ones  yelp  in  their  lair  with 

delight 
As  she  pat  pat  patters  anear  through  the 

night. 


37 


THE  HUMMINGBIRD 

UZ-Z !  whir-r ! — a  flash  and  away  ! 
A  midget  bejeweled  'mid  flowers 

at  play! 
A   snip  of  a   birdling,    the  blossom-bells' 

king, 
A  waif  of  the  sun-beams  on  quivering  wing! 

O  prince  of  the  fairies,  O  pigmy  of  fire, 
Will  nothing  those  brave  little  wings  of 

yours  tire? 
You  follow  the  flowers  from  southern  lands 

sunny, 
You  pry  amid  petals  all  summer  for  honey. 

Now  rest  on  a  twig,  tiny  flowerland  sprite, 
Your  dear  little  lady  sits  near  in  delight; 
In  a  wee  felted  basket  she  lovingly  huddles, — 

38 


(flftti  ^onofX  of  jSunland 


Two  dots  of  white  eggs  to  her  warm  breast 
she  cuddles! 

Whiz-z !  whiff!  off  to  your  flowers ! 
Buzz  'mid  the  perfume  of  jasmine  bowers! 
Chatter  and  chirrup,  my  king  of  the  fays, 
And  laugh  at  the  song  that  I  sing  in  your 
praise. 


39 


fjSunland, 


THE  ROAD-RUNNER 

GRAY-streaked  road-runner 

scurrying  by 
In  a  sage-brush  valley,  I  happened 

to  spy, — 
Long-legged     and     thin-billed,     with     a 

stretched-out  tail, 
And  a  comical  body  as  thin  as  a  rail! 

Oh  surely,  I  thought,  what  a  sad  slim  fowl 

Compared  with  his  neighbor  the  well-fed  owl ! 

Till  he  pounced  on  a  snake  with  a  raptur 
ous  squeak, 

And  rapped  the  poor  reptile  a  clip  with  his 
beak. 

Then  why  is  he  nothing  but  feathers  and 
skin? 


40 


fjSutiland, 


Is  it  running  so  fast  that  has  worn  him 

so  thin? 
Just  think  what  would  happen,  my  lad,  to 

you, 
If  you  ran  all  day  like  a  ground  cuckoo. 


THE  BURROWING  OWL 

Y    blinkety    owlet    atop    of    your 

mound, 
Is   your  mate  tucked   away  in   a 

hole  in  the  ground? 
You   bare-footed    gnome    in   your  striped 

suit  of  dun, 

With  your  fluffy  white  babies  that  bask  in 
the  sun ! 

See  her  bobbing  and  blinking 
As  if  she  were  thinking 
Of  the  poor  lady  cricket 
That  chirps  in  the  thicket! 

With  a  snap  and  a  chatter 
Mrs.  Owlet  is  at  her, 

42 


tftfiti  ^oncrX  of  jSunUnd 


And  whisk!  she  is  beaten 
And  crunched  up  and  eaten ! — 
That  poor  lady  cricket 
That  chirped  in  the  thicket! 

My  blinkety  owlet,  go  down  in  your  hole, 
And  sleep  in  your  nest  like  a  squirrel  or 

mole! 
Who'd  think  that  a  bird  could  have  toes 

for  a  trowel 
To  grub  in  the  ground  like  a  burrowing 

owll 


43 


THE  CRESTED  JAY 

HE  jay  is  a  jovial  bird, — heigh-ho! 
He  chatters  all  day 
In  a  frolicsome  way 
With  the  murmuring  breezes  that  blow, — 
heigh-ho ! 

Hear  him  noisily  call 

From  a  red-wood  tree  tall 
To  his  mate  in  the  opposite  tree,  heigh-ho ! 

Saying:  "How  do  you  do?" 

As  his  top-knot  of  blue 
Is  raised  as  polite  as   can  be, — heigh-ho! 

Oh  impudent  jay 

With  your  plumage  so  gay 


44 


And  your  manners  so  jaunty  and  free, — 
heigh-ho ! 

How  little  you  guessed 

When  you  robbed  the  wren's  nest, 
That  any  stray  fellow  would  see, — heigh-ho ! 


45 


TROUBLE  IN  THE  TREES 

HE  birds  had  a  meeting, — 

The  owl  was  judge ; 
But  a  jay  came  along 
And  said  'twas  all  fudge. 

With  a  quill  in  his  ear 
The  shore-lark  was  clerk; 

The  wren  was  a  witness, 
And  how  she  did  perk! 

The  king-bird  was  sheriff 
And  brought  in  the  shrike, 

When  a  goldfinch  could  scarcely 
Conceal  her  dislike. 


What  talking  and  squawking, 
g  c 
46 


What  whetting  of  bills ! 


fjSunland 


What  ruffling  of  feathers, 
What  bristling  of  quills ! 

Till  a  fox  heard  the  chatter 
And  pounced  on  the  jay, 

When  swallows  and  sparrows 
And  all  flew  away! 


47 


THE  SQUIRREL 

T  must  be  risky 
To  frolic  so  frisky 
Up  in  a  swaying  tree; 
To  scamper  and  skip 
On  a  pine  tree's  tip 
As  you  chatter  away  at  me! 

Now  what's  your  hurry, 

You  wood-imp  furry, 

In  your  snug  little  suit  of  gray  ? 

You  romp  and  rollic 

With  fun  and  frolic 

Like  wind  with  the  leaves  at  play. 

O  nervous  nixie 
With  ways  so  trixie, 

48 


fjSunland 


Fidgety  sprite  so  frail! 

Sit  up  and  munch 

At  your  pine-nut  lunch 

In  the  shade  of  your  bushy  tail ! 


49 


fjSunland, 


THE   POLLIWOG  THAT   LOST    ITS 

TAIL 

WIGGLY  little  polliwog  lived  in 

a  pool 
On  the   edge  of  a  stream  where 

the  water  was  cool, 

Till  one  day  he  turned  very  green  and  pale 
For  he  found  that  he  surely  was  losing  his 

tail 
And  legs  were  sprouting   and  he  caught 

the  croup 
As  he  crawled  up  the  bank  with  a  hoarse, 

"Ge-loup! 
Ca-thump,     ca-lump,     ca-chug,     ca-chook  ! 


Oh  what  can  have  happened?"   he  asked 
with  a  croak; 


tftftti  goner*  of  gutiland. 


"This  seems  like  a  regular  bull-frog  joke.'* 
Then  he  stretched  his  legs  for  a  mighty 

jump, 

And  right  in  the  water  he  landed  ka-plump; 
Which  made  him  smile  from  ear  to  ear, 
For  he  felt  so  very  delightfully  queer 
As  he  called  to  his  mate,  "I'm  a  frog,  rny 

dear!" 


of jSunUnd 


THE  HORNED  TOAD 

ORNYKINS,      Hornykins,     open 

your  eye, 

For  close  to  your  nose  is  a  blue 
bottle  fly! 

Toadykins  ruffle  your  spines  and  your  frills 
And  scurry  away  on  the  rocks  to  the  hills! 

Little  squat  goblin,  all  bristling  with  spikes, 
Flattened-out  lizard  that  nobody  likes, 
Stone-colored  hermit  of  sage-brush  and  sand, 
You're  the  drollest  hobgoblin  of  no-baby's 
land! 


fjSunland 


A  FAIRY  IN  A  FLOWER 

TINY  gold  fairy  flew  into  a  flower 
One  morning  at  cock-crow,  to  hide 

from  a  shower; 
The  drops  fell  a  patter  upon  his  tent  roof, 
But  what  did  it  matter  while  leaves  were 
rain  proof? 

He  found  in  the  flower  fine  honey  to  eat; 
" So-so, "  sang  the  fairy,  "the  food  here  is 

sweet ! 

No  prince  in  his  palace  fares  better  than  I, 
Alone  in  my  chalice  with  storms  blowing 

by!" 

Now  what  do  you  think  is  the  name  of 

this  fairy 
Who  hid  from  the  shower  in  lily-bell  airy  ? 

53 


His    coat   is  bright  yellow,   black   banded 

with  fuzz; — 
This  bumble-bee  gay  with  his  musical  buzz ! 


54 


BUTTERCUP 

UTTERCUP,  buttercup, 
Why  don't  you  hurry  up 
Out  of  the  ground  so  cold ! 
With  your  little  coat  yellow, 
You  dear  little  fellow, 

Why  doesn't  your  blossom  unfold? 


55 


fjSunland, 


THE  COLUMBINE 

IVE  doves  the  fairies  took  away 
To  the  deep  dark  wood  one  sum 
mer  day, 
And    they   hung    them   up    on   a   slender 

spray, — 
Heigh-ho  for  the  columbine! 

Red  and  gold  were  the  doves  they  took; 
With  heads  outstretched  the  birdlings  shook, 
Till  the  fairies  sang  them  to  sleep  by  the 

brook, — 
Heigh-ho  for  the  columbine ! 


of j§unlat 


THE  LEOPARD  LILY 

N  the  forest  stilly 

The  leopard  lily 

Sways   on   her   stem   so   stately; 
Tall  as  a  child 
In  the  mountains  wild, 
She  stands  and  nods  sedately. 


Orange  and  red 

Is  her  dappled  head 

And   her   anthers    brown 

O  fie  on  you,  lily, 

So  vain  and  silly 

To  look  at  yourself  in  the  river  ! 


are    a-quiver; 


57 


JOHNNY  JUMP-UP 

S  I  walked  under  a  black-oak  tree 
A  little  Johnny  Jump-up  laughed 

at  me. 
Here  you  yellow  elf, 
Go  and  laugh  to  yourself, 
Or  wink  at  the  cricket  that  chirps  on  your 

knee. 

Ha  ha  ha!  he  he  he! 
Merry  Johnny  Jump-up,  wild  and  free ! 


58 


SONG  OF  THE  BROWN  LILY 

[AIRY  bells  of  green  and  brown 
Hanging  high  in  a  fairy  town, 
With  cloth  of  gold  beneath  them 

spread 
And  mossy  nooks  for  the  fairies'  bed! 

Who  is  it  rings  the  fairy  bells, 

Ding  dong !  ding  dong !  down  in  the  dells  1 

Who  is  it  flits  to  the  fairies'  ball? 

The  bee  and  the  beetle  have  heard  their 

call, 
Ding  dong !  ding  dong !  down  in  the  dells ! 


59 


SHOOTING  STAR  FLOWERS 

TARS  of  childhood, 
Stars  of  the  wildwood, 
Shooting  stars  of  purple  and  pink, 
Stars  that  hang  in  trembling  showers, 
Stars  of  spring  that  are  more  than  flowers, 
Swinging  blithe  at  the  canon's  brink! 

Birds  are  playing 
Above  you,  swaying, 

Beloved  stars  of  the  woodland  spring! 
Children  shout   and   sing  when  they  see 

you, 
And  where  is  the  fairy  who  dares  to  free 

you, 
Joyous  spirits  that  sway  and  swing! 


60 


THE  SCARLET  LARKSPUR 

ERRY  wee  red-coats  were  frisking 

and  dancing 

Down  in  the  rocky  glen, 
And  the  jolly  old  sun  o'er  the  mountains 

was  glancing 
At  the  merry  wee  red-coated  men. 

Each  little  man  had  a  horn   on  his  head, 
And  the  old  sun  laughed  as  he  got  out  of 

bed! 

The  wind  played  a  tune 
And  they  danced  until  noon, 
And,  "A  jolly  good  time  we've  had/'  they 
said. 


61 


THE  TRILLIUM 

TRILLIUM  dear 

I  am  glad  you  are  here, 

While  March  rains  are  pattering, 

Brooklets  are  clattering, 

Kinglets  are  chattering, 

And  you,  pretty  thing, 

Are  just  smiling  and  dreaming  of  spring. 

O  shade-loving  sprite, 

The  canon's  delight, — 

Three  petals  wine-red, 

Three  leaves  broadly  spread, 

You  leap  from  your  bed 

In  joy,  pretty  thing, 

To  sway  in  the  breezes  of  spring. 


62 


fjfunland 


BABY  BLUE-EYES 

ONNY  baby  blue-eyes 

Twinkling  in  the  grass, 
Smiling  on  the  sunny  hill 
To  see  the  children  pass! 

Of  all  the  flowers  of  spring-time 
The  fairest  and  the  frailest ! 

There's  gladness  in  your  baby  eyes,- 
The  purest  and  the  palest! 


WHO  KNOWS  ROSALIE? 

HO  knows  Rosalie? 
There  goes  Rosalie 
Out  where  her  roses  are  growing ! 
The  dear  little  tot 
With  her  watering  pot 
Where  the  daisies  are  nodding  and  blowing. 

It's  six  o'  the  clock 

And  the  lily  bells  rock 

In  the  merry  warm  month  of  July; 

And  Rosalie  tells 

All  the  whispering  bells 

Of  the  tear  in  the  violet's  eye. 


64 


TO  A  WILD  ROSE 


EAR  little  rose,  so  sweet  and  fair, 
You  give  your  perfume  to  the  air, 
You  give  your  honey  to  the  bee, 
And  all  the   day  long  you  smile   at  me. 

O  teach  me,  little  rose,  the  way 

To  smile  at  people  all  the  day, 

To   give    from    my   heart-store   the   sweet 

To  every  one  I  chance  to  meet. 


fj§unland[ 


THE   QUEEN  OF  THE  FAIRIES 

WANT  to  go  out  in  the  woods 

and  play 
That  I  am  the  queen  of  the  fairies 

to-day ; 

So   I'll  gather  some  stars   from  the  mid 
night  sky 
(There  are  plenty  to  spare  in   the  jewels 

on  high) 

And  I'll  have  them  set  in  a  crown  of  gold; 
For  a  sceptre  a  tiger  lily  I'll  hold; 
A  violet  bed  will  be  my  throne 
And  the  beautiful  world  will  be  mine  alone. 

I'll  make  one  law  my  realm  to  bind, 

That  everybody  must  just  be  kind 

And  love  all  children  and  flowers  and  birds 


66 


And  always  speak  in  gentle  words. 
What  a  happy  land   will   my  kingdom  be 
Where  hopes  are  high  and  hearts  are  free ! 


QUIPS  AND  CRANKS 


MY  AUNTIE 


OW  would  you   like  to  have  for 

an  auntie 

Kittie  ka  dink  ka  dee  ka  dantie? 
Kittie  ka  dink 
With  frolicsome  wink, 
Kittie  ka  dink 
With  ruffles  of  pink, 
Kittie  ka  dink,  — 
Now  what  do  you  think 
Of  Kittie  ka  dink  for  an  auntie? 

Kittie  ka  dink  ka  dee 

Is  as  bright  as  a  bumble  bee, 

Kittie  ka  dink  ka  dee, 

She  dresses  my  dolls  for  me! 

Kittie  ka  dink  ka  dee,  — 


If  you  knew  her  I'm  sure  you'd  agree 

That  Kittie  ka  dink 

With  frolicsome  wink 

In  ruffles  of  pink, 

Is  the  jolliest  kind  of  an  auntie ! 


72 


jjlfitt  J^ 


THE  BEAR  HUNTER 

F  I  should  meet  a  grizzly  bear 
A-roaming  from  his  mountain  lair, 
I'd  just  get  down  on  hands  and 


knees 
And  growl  around  among  the  trees. 

Then  if  my  growling  didn't  scare 
That  great  ferocious  grizzly  bear, 
I'd  sing  a  song  and  at  my  ease 
Just  try  my  best  the  bear  to  please. 


73 


TRYING  TO  PLAY 

A   gentleman   dressed  in  a   high 

top  hat 
Rode  on  a  hobby-horse  just  like 

that. 

44 Mr.  Man,  Mr.  Man,  O  what  is  the  matter?" 
"Little  boy,  let  me  hear  no  more  of  your 
chatter." 

So  he  pranced  and  he  kicked  till  his  glasses 

fell  off, 
And  he  puffed  and  he  choked  till  it  made 

him  cough; 
Then  he  stopped  and  said  in  his  solemn 

way, 
"My  child,   I   was   merely   attempting   to 

play." 


74 


ofjSuuland 


MAGGIE  MULDOON 


DOWN  at  Milpitas  there  was  an 

old  hag 

Who  drove  to  town  with  a  bob 
tail  nag. 

She  rattled  along  in  a  rickety  rig, 
With   a   red   bandana   to   cover   her   wig. 

When  a  wheel  came  off  and  she  tumbled 

ka-flop, 

She  hobbled  away  to  the  blacksmith  shop ; 
And  the  blacksmith  said:  "O  Maggie  Mul- 

doon, 
If  you'll   dance   me  a  breakdown   I'll  sing 

you  a  tunel" 


THE  BOOBITY  BUMPKIN 

BOOBITY  bumpity  bumpkin 
Was  sent  to  town  with  a  pump 
kin, 

But  he  stumbled  and  tripped 

As  he  hippity  skipped, 

And  smackety  smash  went  the  pumpkin ! 


FARMER  JONES'S  GOAT 

LD  Farmer  Jones  had  a  frisky  old 

goat 
That   wore   a   long   beard  and  a 

haiiy  black  coat, 
With  hoofs  on   its  feet  and  horns  on  its 

head, 

And  a  sad  hungry  look  on  its  face  while 
it  fed. 

Now  what  do  you  think  was  its  favorite 
caper  ? 

It  would  eat  Farmer  Jones's  weekly  Satur 
day  paper; 

But  the  diet  was  more  than  the  goat  could 
endure, 

So  it  fed  upon  sawdust  and  rags  for  a  cure. 


77 


fjSunland, 


POOR  MR.  MIDAS 


Mr.    Midas    did    nothing 


POOR 

but  think 
Of    the    sound    that    his    money 

made, — chink,    chink,    chink ! 
He  filled  his  pockets,  he  filled  his  shoes, 
But   the    more    he    gathered    the    less    he 
could  use. 

It  weighed  on  his  mind  till  he  scarce  slept 

a  wink, 
And  then   he  would  dream  of  the  chink, 

chink,  chink. 

He    filled    his    boxes,    he    filled    his    bed, 
And  so  there  was  nothing  to  fill  but  his 

head. 


fjfunland 


THREE  WISE  MEN 

HREE  wise  men  sailed  away  on 

a  bat, 
But  the  one  who  was  bald  forgot 

his  hat; 

The  one  who  made   music  forgot  his  fife, 
And  the  one  who  was   married  forgot  his 
wife. 

The  bat  flew   straight  to  the  Man  in  the 

Moon, 
And  they  said,    "Kind  sir,  is  it  night  or 

noon?" 
So    the    Man    in    the    Moon   his  brain  he 

racked 
And    decided    the    three    wise    men    were 

cracked. 


79 


ofjSunlatul 


A  GOBBLER  IN  TROUBLE 

WHAT  would  the  turkey  gobbler 

do 
If  he  got  the  hiccoughs  before  he 

was  through 

With      his      gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble- 
gobble  ? 

I'm  sure  that  he  could  never  see  through 

the  joke 
If  he   started   to   gobble    and    stopped  to 

choke 
In  his  gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble. 

The   puffed-out    fool   would   grow   red    in 

the  face, 
And  the  hens  would  laugh  at  their  lord's 

disgrace, 

80 


tftfitt  J^onorX  of  jSunUnd 


At   his   gobble,   hie!  gobble,  hie!  gobble- 
gobble-gobble  ! 


81 


fjSunland, 


THE  TALE  OF  A  POOR  LITTLE 
WORM 

UST  listen  to  that, 

Rat-atat-tat ! 
u'Tis   a  woodpecker,"   whispered 

a  worm. 

As  he  crouched  in  a  cranny 
He  called  to  his  granny, 
4 '  Hark  hark,  hark  hark, 
Rap-a-tap  on  the  bark, 
That  noise  makes  me  shiver  and  squirm  I" 

Then  a  long  barbed  tongue 

Right  through  him  was  flung, 

And   down    in    the   gizzard  he  wallowed; 

It  made  him  grow  pale 

Till  he  thought  of  the  whale 

82 


With  Jonah  inside, 

Then  he  shivered  and  cried: 

"'Tis  a   fatal   mistake   to  be  swallowed." 


RHYMES  FOR  TODDLERS 


fjSunUnd 


TO  PUSSY  WHITE 

ITTLE  white  furrykins, 
Sly  pussie  purrykins, 

Snoozing  all  day  by  the  grate 
Pinky-nosed  kittie  cat, 
Who  would  n't  pity  that 
Snip  of  a  mouse  that  you  ate ! 

Hittlety  skittlety, 

Mousie  squeaked,  " Mercy  me!" — 

Off  went  his  head  with  a  snap ; 
Ere  he  knew  what  had  jolted  him, 
Kittie  had  bolted  him 

And  stretched  herself  out  for  a  nap. 


CHINA  DOLLS 

HERE  are  china  cups  and  china 

dolls 

And  Chinamen  galore, 
All  huddled  in  together 
In  a  little  China  store. 


The  china  cups  are  pretty 

And  the  china  dolls,  O  dear, 

I  wish  I  had  a  hundred 

Sitting  round  me  now,  right  here. 

But  the  Chinaman  that  sells  them, 
With  his  slits  of  eyes  askew, 

And  hair  all  braided  down  his  back 
In  such  a  funny  queue!  — 

88 


fjSunland 


If  all    his    dolls   should   grow  and   grow 

Until  like  him  they  grew, 
And    I    should    have    the    care    of   them, 

O  dear,  what  would  I  do? 


tflfttt  ^ 


DOLLIE'S  LULLABY 

OLLIE'S  in   the  cradle 
Falling    fast   asleep; 
Hush,   little  mamma, 
Run  and  take  a  peep. 

Whisper  low  to  dollie: 

"  Dream  of  pleasant  things, 
Fairies  in  the  doll  house 

A-dance  in  fairy  rings; 

"Fairies  round  the  cradle 

Flying  to  and  fro, 
Singing  in  the  moonlight 

Fairy  music  low." 

Shut  are  dollie's  eyelids, 
Cover  up  her  arm; 

90 


Keep  the  little  dollie  dear 
Safe  from  every  harm. 


BABY  LIFE 

HAT  can  little  baby  do? 
Clap  his  hands  and  coo  and  coo; 
Kick  and  roll  and  smile  and  grow, — 
That  is  why  we  love  him  so ! 


92 


(flfiti  j^oncfX  of  jSunland 


LITTLE  BROTHER 

ITTLE  brother  full  of  glee, 
With    dainty  hand    and    dimpled 

knee, 

Chubby  little  laughing  boy, 
Father's  pride  and  Mother's  joy ! 

Ringlets  gold  on  shapely  head, 
Smiles  that  break  ere  tears  have  fled, 
Eyes  of  blue  that  open  wide, 
Wondering  at  the  world  outside ! 

Merry  spirit,  sweetly  wild, 
Why  are  you,  my  precious  child, 
Dearer  far  than  any  other 
Loving  sister's  little  brother? 


93 


fjSunland 


PLAYING  HORSE 

ORSE  and  cart  and  tinkling  lines, 
Rattling  under  the  passion  vines ; 
Up  the  road  and  down  the  lane 

And  round   the   yard  to  the   door  again ! 

i 
Babe  is  driver,  snap  the  whip ! 

Watch  the  turn  and  don't  you  tip. 
Nero  barks  as  the  chickens  scatter, 
Dust  is  flying  and  cart-wheels  clatter. 

Nell,  the  cook  at  the  kitchen  door, 
Wonders  what  the  noise  is  for. 
Round  the  house  on  the  run  they  go 
Till  baby  calls  to   the  horsie,  —"whoa!" 


94 


({Iftti  J^foturX  of  jSunland 


MY  DONKEY 

Y  little  Donkey  is  a  dear, 
We  call  her  Mistress  Bunny, 
Her  ears  are  very  long  and  queer 
And  her  voice  is  O  so  funny, — 
Haw-he,  haw-he,  haw-he! 

I  saddle  her  and  bridle  her 

And  on  her  back  I  climb 

To  ride  around  the  Berkeley  streets 

And  have  a  happy  time, — 

Haw-he,  haw-he,  haw-he ! 

I  tied  her  with  a  long,  long  rope 
Where  she  could  eat  the  grass, 
But  O  my  burro  broke  her  rope 
And  ran  away,  alas! 
Haw-he,  haw-he,  haw-he! 


95 


fjSunUtui 


BABY  IN  THE  BARNYARD 

.BY  with  the  big  blue  eyes, 
Tell    me    why   you    look  so  wise 
When  you  watch  the  kitties  play, 
Or  old  Billy  eating  hay. 

Do  the  horses  talk  to  you, 
Baby  with  the  eyes  of  blue  ? 
Can  you  tell  me  what  they  say 
When  they  look  at  you  and  neigh? 

And  the  romping  kitties,  too, 
When  they  cry  out,  mew,  mew,  mew, 
Have  they  secrets,  baby  dear, 
Only  meant  for  you  to  hear? 


When  the  doggie  says,  bow-wow 
To  the  lazy  muley-cow, 


fjSunland 


And  the  cow  replies,  moo,  moo, 
Are  they  talking  still  to  you? 

And  the  piggie  in  her  pen, 
Grunting  to  the  setting  hen, 
Ugh,  ugh,  ugh,  can  baby  tell 
What  the  piggie  means  to  spell? 

Lying  in  her  bed  at  morn, 
Baby  hears  a  lusty  horn 
Sounding,  rook-a-dook-a-doo ! 
And  baby  laughs  as  if  she  knew. 

Baby  loves  them,  one  and  all, 
And  she  answers  when  they  call; 
And  they  tell  her  wondrous  tales 
Of  the  barnyard,  hills  and  dales. 


97 


{{tftti  ^onqX  of  jSunland 


BABY'S  GOOD-NIGHT 

ITTLE    eyes    droop    in    the    dim 

evening  light; 

Wave   your   hand,   little   maiden, 
good-bye,  good-night; 

Throw  a  kiss  to  the  doggie — he's  wagging 

his  tail — 
And  wave  to  the  muley-cow  down  in  the  dale. 

Hark!    hark!    she    is    ringing   good-night 

with  her  bell; — 
Now  toss  to  the  kitties  a  sweet  farewell. 

Good-night  to  the  birds,  in  the  branches 

asleep, 
Good-night  to  the  stars  that  twinkle  and 

peep ; 

98 


Good-night  to   the   horn  of  the  moon  in 

the  west, 
And  toddle  away  to  your  warm  little  nest. 


99 


DOGS 

HAVE  many  little  doggie  friends ; 

There's  Jip  who  wags  at  both  his 

ends, 

And  Buddie  like  a  ball  of  silk, 
Who  laps  the    cream   and   sniffs  at  milk, 
And  Judie  with  her  rubber  ball 
Who  never  minds  me  when  I  call, 
And  Rab  who  runs  before  the  horse, — 
I  love  to  hear  him  bark,  of  course, 
'Cept    sometimes    he   most   barks    in  two, 
And   then   I   wish   he'd    stop,    don't   you? 


100 


MY  ANIMALS 

AVE  you  seen  my  little  animals 

Shut  in  a  paper  house? — 
There's   a    donkey   and   a   camel 
With  a  kittie  and  a  mouse; 


There's  a  doggie  and  an  elephant, 

A  lion  and  a  bear, 
All  huddled  in  together,. 

And  they  never  seem  to  care ! 

O  I'm  very,  very  hungry 

And  I  think  I'd  like  to  eat 

The  donkey  and  the  lion 

And  the  elephant  for  meat; 


101 


They  are  all  made  out  of  crackers, 
And  if  Mamma  says  I  may, 

I'll  eat  a  half  a  bag  of  them 
And  give  the  rest  away. 


102 


BROWN  BABY  BALLADS 


fjSunland, 


SIX  LITTLE  ESKIMO 

IX  jolly  little  Eskimo 
Lived  in  the  land  of  ice  and  snow. 
They  played  with  their  ivory  dolls 

all  night 

In  a  stuffy  igloo  with  a  smoky  oil  light, 
I  wouldn't  live  in  a  smoky  igloo, 
Would  you? 

They  dressed   in   seal-skin  from  hood  to 

heel; 

I  wonder  how  such  a  suit  would  feel! 
They  chewed  their  blubber  and  smacked 

their  lips 

And  wiggled  their  toes  and  finger  tips, 
But  I  wouldn't  like  such  food  to  chew, 
Would  you? 

105 


ofjSunland 


And  when  they  were  tired  of  eating  and 

play 

Their  mammas  stowed  them   safely  away 
In  the  big  white  skin  of  a  polar  bear. 
Six  little  black  heads  in  a  row  were  there, 
But  I  would' nt  like  to  be  one  of  that  crew, 
Would  you? 


1 06 


m 


PICCANINNY  LULLABY 


AH  low  mah  littl'  honey, 

Bah  low,  littr   piccaninny  boy, 
Shoo,  shoo,  littF  coon,  mah  sonny, 
Stop  yoh  winkin'  at  yoh  mammy,  littl' 


Sh!  Sh!  de  wind  comes  creepin', 

Now  cuddle  close  to  mammy  —  so  —  so. 
Quit  yoh  fussin',  don'  yoh  know  it's  time 

foh  sleepin' 

When  de  moon  peeks  in  an'  tells  yoh, 
littl'  Joe? 

Go  to  sleep,  shut  yoh  eyes,  littl'  coon 
Or  de  Voodoo  come  an'  fetch  yoh  right 
away  ; 

107 


fjSunUtut 


Carry  yoh  cleah  up  into  de  moon, 

An'  den  what  would  yoh  poh  old  mammy 
say? 


1 08 


fjSuntoui 


THE  MEXICAN  BABIES 
HE  Mexican  babies  are  chubby  and 


Each  family  has  ten  or  a  dozen, 
And  all  in  the  town  are  related,  they  say, 
From  a  first  to  a  twentieth  cousin. 

The  house  is  adobe,  the  floor  is  of  dirt; 

In  the  patio  sheltered  and  sunny 
The  babies  can  toddle  with  never  a  shirt 

While  their  mammas  can  sing  without 
money. 

If  the  little  black-headed  brown  baby  should 
cry, 

Or  madre  grow  sick  of  his  prattle, 
His  tears  in  an  instant  his  sister  can  dry 

With  the  end  of  a  snake  for  a  rattle. 

169 


fflfiti  jSoncrX  of  jSuuland 


Their  little  black  dogs  are  a  sight  to  be 
hold, 

All  hairless  and  wrinkled  as  mummies; 
With  blankets  about  them  to  keep  out  the 

cold, 

And  the  babies  about  them  for  chum- 
mies. 

How  happy  these  imps  from  the  day  they 

are  born, — 

They  toddle  and  tumble  in  tatters; 
Their  faces  are  dirty,  their  clothes  are  all 

torn, 
But  nobody  thinks  that  it  matters. 


no 


fjSunland 


THE  LITTLE  PIUTE 

|P  in  Winnemucca  in    Piute   land, 
Where   the    hot  sun   falls  on   the 

sage-brush  sand, 
A  little  pappoose  in  a  basket  lay, 
Fat  as  a  badger  and  ready  for  play. 


Mahali  was  proud  of  the  way  he  grew 
Upon  acorn  soup  and  on  pine-nut  stew; 
She  caught  him  a  lizard  and  let  it  wiggle, 
Which  set  him  off  in  a  Piute  giggle. 


But  the   brush   hut  is  lonely,  for  father's 

not   there  ; 
In  ghost-land  he's  hunting  the  bison  and 

bear. 


ii  i 


ofjSunland 

^ 


Soon  you  \vi\\  follow ;  alas — too  soon, 
As  your  clan  moves  on  toward  the  setting 
moon! 


112 


of  JfunUnd 


THE  HONOLULU  BOY 

OCOANUT  milk  and  poi, 

Cocoanut  curds  and  fish, 
For  the  Honolulu  boy, — 
What   more  could  a  baby  wish* 

Taro  and  yams  and  chicken, — 
Baby  shall  have  a  feast, — 

Bones  of  the  pig  for  pickin', 
Fat  little  face  well  greased! 

A  sleep  in  the  house  of  grasses, 
A  swim  in  the  cool  lagoon, 

A  kiss  as  the  trade  wind  passes, 
And  a  low  Kanaka  tune! 


A  SAMOA  SLEEPY-SONG 


IE  on   your  mat,   little  tama,  and 

sleep ; 
The  pigeon  has  gone   to   its   rest 

in  the  palm; 
I  see  the  bright  moon  through  the  ifi  trees 

peep, 

And  the  sleepy  waves  sing  on  the  coral- 
reef  calm. 

Sing  to  my  tama,  soft  waves  of  the  sea; 
Some    day    he'll    ride    in    his    rocking 

canoe, — 
Ride  on  your  laughing  crests,  happy  and 

free, 
Joyous  to  roll  on  your  rollicking  blue. 


114 


fjSunland, 


Sleep,  little  tama,  the  bats  flutter  low, 
The  breeze  through  the  breadfruit-tree 
sighs  to  the  star; 

And  out  on  the  water,  with  torches  aglow, 
Your  father  and  brother  are  fishing  afar. 

Tina  will  tuck  the  siapo  around; 

Sleep,    little    chief,    for   the   spirits   are 

nigh ! 
Fish-gods  and  wind-gods,  and  gods  of  the 

ground 

Watch  my  brown  baby  as  round  him 
they  fly! 


U    UO  I  J  / 


•V-y  —  .,* 

775  i 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


